The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-03
SNAKES IN THE STOMACH.
Two Women Who Are Strangely An
noyed by Reptiles They Swallowed.
Remarkable Cases in Tape-W Doctors
Practice-A Negro Who Had Lizard in
His Stomach for Three Years.

There are physicians and physicians but very
few who practice in the line of John SWEET, of
No 800 North Alabama street. His business is
the removal of tape worms and snakes from the
human stomach. Mr.. SWEET is a painter by
trade but finds little time now to WELD the
brush, so rapid has been the growth of his pcac-
tice in his own peculiar line While residing
In Cincinnati, two years ago, he came to the con-
clusion that great many of the ills to which
the human flesh is heir are the result of tape
worms in the stomach. After experimenting
for six months, be was successful in compound
ing medicine by which the reptiles can be re-
moved with certainty and without pain to the
patient During the last six months of his
residence there he removed one hundred worms.
One year ago he removed to this city,
and is engaged in the same business here.
Since he came here he has removed one hun
dred and fifty of the worms. some of them of
enormous length. He has preserved in alcohol
nearly one hundred specimens The longest he
has on exhibition Is one hundred and forty-fiv
feet, and the shortest thirtyfve feet. The
average length of a tape-worm, he says, Is
about sixty feet, and but few found under
fifty feet. The worms are of three different
knds-the round, white variety, with one head
yellow ones with two heads. and what
he designates as the Swiss worm,
which differs from the others in that it has
scales on it something like snake. They coil
themselves, he says, about the upper rim of the
stomach, and remain almost stationary, though
they are in no way attached to the lieaments.
The head is Embedded In the lining of the stom-
ach. They affect people differently. AS rule
they govern ones appettes. Some persons eat
very ravenously, while some eat scarcely
anything. Many of the persons from whom he
has removed the pests have been unable to eat
anything substantial for months and have been
compelled to live on milk and other light diet
Mr.. SWEET removes the worms by starving
them for several days, and then giving them
medicine that drives them from the stomach.
He requires the patient to fast usually about
forty eight hours before he gives the medicine.
He has found many persons who have more than
one. and only last week he removed four from
one weli-known lady In the city The important
part in the removal is the securing Of the head
of the worm, for, if he fails in this, it will be
only few weeks until there will be another full
grown worm. Mr.. SWEET does not agree with the
medical profession on the origin of the worms.
The professional men hold that it is parasitic
animal, but he is of the opinion that it comes
from sort Of animal life in water. Last
week he removed from an ex-county official OF
Benton county worm 125 feet in length.
In his peculiar practice Mr.. SWEET has recently
come liz contact with some cases that much
stranger than his tapeworm eases. Three
weeks aga two women of this city. one of whom
| lives on Hadley avenue and the ether on
Davidson street. came to him to be doctored for
| tape worms. After making an examination, he
| told them that they each had snake in their
| stomach. The women have both been troubled
| in their way for about ten years. The one liv-
| ing on Hadley avenue was formerly very heshy,
but the snake has annoyed her until she has be-
| come mere living skeleton. Since Mr.. SWEET
| 4old her that she had a snake in her stomach,
| she remembers when she drank item years
! ago. She was then half grown girl, and was
drinking from spring in the country. AS she
l1nx uoG ipio choa
| pected what she had done, but never said any
thing about it to any one. 1t was nearly year
| afterwards that the reptile began to annoy her,
and its annoyance has increased as it has grown.
| 1t darts around in all parts of her stomach
and is seldom quiet. The only way she can keer
! it quiet at all is to keep her stomach full at all
times, and on account of this she is required tc
| eat as much as three men ordinarily consume
| Whenever her stomach is empty the snake bites
causing unbearable pain. and will not cease unit
| its wants are supplied. At different times it de-
mands different kinds of food, and will not be-
quiet until she finds by trial what it wants. IT.
| favorite is beefsteak, and at least five times
day she has to eat piece of beef steak to keer
| his suakeshiD quiet.
The Davidson street woman is affected In mucl
the same way, though the reptile in her stomach
is, from its actions not so large. She has NJ
recolections of when she swallowed the reptile
though in her girhood she was in the habit O
drinking from spring.
During the last week SWEET has been attempt
| ing TO rellovo the women with the same m0d1
cine he uses in driving out the tapeworms. S,
far he has been unsuccessful but he is confiden
that he will eventually meet with success. Las
Monday he had both women begin fasting, ant
they ate nothing until Tuesday evening" in TIT
meantime suffering the horrors of death from
the billings of the snakes. On that evening Mr.
SWEET administered his medicine. With tn
Hadley avenue woman he came near being sue
cessful. The snakes head appeared in be
mouth. but, before he could get hold of it, il hat
| gone back to the stomach. The attempt wa
not so successful with the Davidson stree
woman. her snake gave intimation of be
} ing sufficiently Disguised to seek new quarters
did you ever have any case of the kind be
fore?' asked Journal reporter of the tape worr
doctor.
"Oh yes. In Minneapolis last year 1 too
from prominent man q snake that had nearl
, run him crazy for years. I used the same treat
, ment am using on these ladies. The snake tina
, I took from that man was what we commonl
, call water-snake. It was nearly three fee
long. and had been in his stomach for iftee
years. He walking skeleton whe
, he came to me- and after the snake wa
removed he began to fatten up. and when l Sal
) him several months after ward he was one OF tn
, Notwithstanding men ever saw, and said
had not had a pain since he was rid of the rel
) tile. Last summer negro who worked in
3 livery stable here in the city came to me fe
, treatment He had lizzard in his stomach
For three years he had been having fits ever
day. brought on by it's presence in his stomach
!. the colored man has never had fit since
8 stabs in the Dark